Riden’s gaze narrows. “Why would you possibly need me? Surely His Royal Blackheartedness has enough pirates in his fleet.”
He most certainly does. More than he could possibly need. And I’ve got some of the most skilled sailors and fighters in all of Maneria aboard the Ava-lee. We don’t need Riden, but I can’t set him free. How would that look to my father? I can’t lock him up at the keep because there’s no reason to keep him alive. Father will kill him and Draxen both. The only reason Draxen isn’t dead yet is because I told my father I need him alive to get Riden to cooperate. So now that Riden is better, I’m down to my last option. He has to come with me. He has to be part of the crew. But how do I possibly explain that to Riden without making it seem like I’ve gone soft on him?
I tell myself I’m doing this because I owe him. He saved me. He took two bullets for me. I may have brought him back from nearly drowning, but that was my fault to begin with. We are not even, not yet. That is the only reason why I’m keeping him alive.
If I think it enough times, maybe it’ll be true.
Finally, I say, “I don’t know what we’ll come up against on the voyage. I might need some extra muscle. With Kearan and Enwen, the men on this ship number four. Enwen is so scrawny that I’m pretty sure Niridia can lift more than he can. And the only lifting Kearan does is when he puts a bottle to his lips. I’m not about to recruit some random person off the keep, because I need people I can trust.”
“And you trust me?” he asks with one raised brow.
“I don’t need to. I know you’ll do anything to protect your brother. I can count on your full cooperation as long as he’s locked up. And besides, you owe me for saving his pathetic life in the first place.”
He pauses for a moment, probably to think it over. “Will I continue to be kept under lock and key?”
“Only if you do something stupid. You’ll be free to roam the ship as much as any sailor. Any attempt at escape, though, and I’ll send word to the men left guarding the keep that Draxen’s head is to be removed from his body.”
Riden turns his face away from me.
“What?” I ask.
“I’d forgotten how ruthless you can be.”
I take a step toward him and pierce him with my gaze. “You haven’t seen ruthless from me yet.”
“And I pray I never will. I’ll come with you to the island on two conditions.”
“You want to bargain with me? I hold all the cards.”
Riden stands in one fluid motion. “Going with you is pointless if you’re going to kill Draxen as soon as we get back. I want your word he’ll be freed once I help you journey to the island and back.”
“And I suppose the second stipulation is your own freedom?”
“No.”
I blink, take a step closer. “What do you mean ‘no’? You hold Draxen’s life in higher regard than your own? He’s a disgusting worm. He deserves to squirm below ground.”
“He’s my brother. And you’re a hypocrite.” Riden takes his own step forward.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Your father is the most despicable man to roam the sea. Tell me you wouldn’t do anything for him.”
I advance farther, a mere foot from him now, deciding whether or not to clobber him with my fists. In the end, I take a step back and breathe in calmly. “What is your second condition?”
“You will not use your siren abilities on me ever again. Even if it’s just to know what I’m feeling.”
“What if your life were in danger and I could save you with my voice? Would you prefer I let you die?” For some reason, I feel the need to defend myself. And my abilities. To him. Why to him? His opinion of me shouldn’t matter. Doesn’t matter.
“I’ve survived this long without you, and I will continue to do so.”
“Ah, but you’ve never sailed with me before. Danger is always nigh for my crew.”
“With you in their midst, how could it not be?” He says this quietly to himself, but I still catch it.
“Will you sail with me or not?” I ask.
“Do you agree to my terms?”
I look heavenward. I’ll have the whole voyage to figure out what to do with Riden and Draxen when we get back. For now, I can agree to this.
Riden holds out his hand to seal our bargain. I extend my own, anticipating a firm squeeze.
What I do not expect is the tingle of heat that shoots up my arm from where we touch. Though I tell my hand to let go, it doesn’t listen, and my feet seem rooted to the spot.
I look up from our clasped hands, and my eyes land on the stubble along his jaw. I wonder what it would feel like rubbing against my chin and cheeks as he kissed me.
I blink repeatedly. What the—Was I just staring at his mouth? Did he notice?
I look up. Riden’s eyes capture my own, glinting with mischief. He is the first to speak. “This is sure to be an exciting voyage. The two of us stuck together on one ship.” His thumb draws circles on the back of my hand, and my breathing hitches. It appears my lungs, too, have forgotten how to function properly.
Riden starts to draw closer, and my mind finally remembers something.
He’s my prisoner. Anything he does will be an act to further his goal to free himself and his brother. I cannot trust any of it. After all, did I not try to use physical closeness with Riden to further my own goals when I was the prisoner and he the captor?
His pretty face will not earn him privileges on this ship. Nor will I allow him to use it to get closer to me.
I tell my limbs to stop misbehaving and finally step away from him.
I have gone two months without his kisses. I can go the rest of my life without them as well.
“It is a very large ship,” I say at last, even though it’s a lie. And then, because I want to see him squirm, I offer him the most seductive smile I have, and wet my lips with my tongue ever so slightly.
The way his eyes move down to my mouth—and the bounce of the nob of his throat as he audibly swallows—is more than enough reward.
Yes, I am the one in control.
I turn to open the door and extend one hand toward the deck, an invitation for Riden to precede me onto the ship.
He walks perfectly out the door, no limp in his step. Good.
I watch him as he descends the companionway, surveying the crew as they go about their chores. His eyes take in the clouds, roam over the sea, and I feel bad for keeping him cooped up for two whole months.
“Admiring the view, are we, Captain?” a voice asks. Lotiya and Deshel, sisters I picked up from the island of Jinda two years ago, take up position on either side of me. “He looks delicious,” Deshel adds.
“From behind, anyway,” Lotiya says. “Can’t judge the man properly until we see the front.”
“Not to mention naked.”
Giggling ensues.
Riden looks over his shoulders, partly amused yet a little uncomfortable. He heard them. I’m certainly glad I’m not prone to blushing. For I’ve seen Riden’s front. And him naked. The sisters’ talk immediately brings the image to the surface of my mind.